Fighting Long Tiaotiao

Across from him, Long Yue felt a sting. He raised his hand and saw a bloody gash on his fist, and surprise flashed through his eyes.

"You actually managed to wound me at the two-ring stage? That's enough for you to be proud of."

He swept a disdainful gaze over the group of Soul Grandmasters before him. With his arms folded, he paid them no mind, and Chen Jianshu, who had only one ring, was even less worthy of his attention.

"Press your eject buttons and leave yourselves, so you can spare yourselves a beating. Remember, there's no shame in losing to the Dragon King, Long Yue."

Long Yue chuckled and watched them quietly, utterly confident in his strength. But the two hardheads, Ye Xinglan and Xue Liushuang, would not be scared off without a fight.

"Aren't you afraid you'll bite your tongue, talking so big?"

"Let my Stargod Sword see what you're made of!"

As they spoke, both charged at him with their swords. Weng Daimin also circulated her Soul Power, and snowflakes drifted down from the sky as the surrounding temperature steadily dropped.

"I'm fine. I can still fight!"

Wu Bingyu struggled out of Chen Jianshu's arms. After briefly regulating her breathing, she charged back into battle with her sword.

Watching the three hardheads, Chen Jianshu silently raised a hand, and specks of silver light gathered.

Meanwhile, several streaks of starlit sword Qi and deep-blue frost sword Qi came at Long Yue, who immediately unleashed his First Soul Skill.

"Mountains and Rivers!"

The next moment, the earth began to tremble. Mounds of earth three to four meters high rose from the ground, blocking and separating the three attackers.

Sensing something strange beneath their feet, the three immediately dodged. A five-meter hillock rose from the ground, completely cutting them off from one another.

"What a wide-ranging Soul Skill... That move must have cost you quite a bit!"

Fine beads of cold sweat ran down Xue Liushuang's temples. This really was the strongest opponent she had ever faced.

"It does cost a lot, but dealing with you won't take much of my Soul Power!"

Long Yue appeared atop a mound and leaped down. Xue Liushuang immediately dodged as the Mountain Dragon stomped down, leaving countless cracks in the ground.

Then the Mountain Dragon claw came at her. She swung the Light-Splitting Sword, sending out several flashes of sword light, but they had little effect.

The longsword met the dragon claw, and, unsurprisingly, Xue Liushuang lost. The blow sent her flying four or five meters backward into a mound.

"Time to end this!"

Long Yue took a step and appeared before her again. Blood was already seeping from the webbing between Xue Liushuang's thumb and forefinger as she gripped the Light-Splitting Sword, and both her hands were numb. Facing the incoming fist, she could only do her utmost to block it.

Boom!

The fist smashed down without mercy. At the thunderous impact, Long Yue frowned; it had not felt as though he had struck a person.

When the dust cleared, the Mountain Dragon fist had struck only the little stone mound, covering the four-meter mound in cracks that made it look ready to collapse at any moment.

"She's gone?"

Looking at the spot where Xue Liushuang had vanished, he raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly not expecting her to disappear so suddenly.

Outside the battlefield, Xue Liushuang had been transferred away. After a moment's daze, she saw Chen Jianshu beside her holding a silver-white staff and immediately understood that he had saved her again.

"That guy is too strong. I'm afraid even some Soul Ancestors would be no match for him. I can't beat him..."

Frustration crept into her voice. Although he looked four or five years older than her, she had been utterly unable to fight back. It was the first time in her life she had suffered such a complete defeat, and it left her deeply frustrated.

"The problem isn't you. That guy's Martial Soul is simply too strong: the Mountain Dragon, a True Dragon Level Martial Soul. I'm afraid that among Super Soul Beasts, only the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear can compare with it. Treat your injuries first."

Chen Jianshu offered her a word of reassurance, then summoned a green slime and tucked it into her arms.

Xue Liushuang instinctively hugged the green slime. When the round little creature touched her wounds, they began to heal.

"A life-type summon? Is this your family's Soul Spirit? It's so cute."

"Something like that."

Elsewhere, Long Yue encountered Ye Xinglan. After a brief exchange, it was clear that the Mountain Dragon was stronger, and Long Yue sent Ye Xinglan crashing hard into a wall with one punch.

Before level seventy, Beast Martial Souls were stronger. After all, they boosted physical attributes far more than tool Martial Souls did.

Moreover, the quality of their Martial Souls lagged far behind the Mountain Dragon's; they were not on the same level at all, to say nothing of the fact that they were four or five years younger than Long Yue.

Just as the Mountain Dragon claw was about to eliminate Ye Xinglan, another flash of silver light appeared, and she vanished.

This time Long Yue saw it clearly: she had vanished through spatial transfer. He immediately jumped onto the highest hillock and saw Chen Jianshu supporting Ye Xinglan outside the battlefield. His gaze sharpened.

"Found you!"

He crouched slightly as he spoke, then kicked off with enough force to leave the hill beneath him covered in spiderweb-like cracks.

"Sister Liu Shuang! Chang Kong! Watch out! He's heading your way!"

Weng Daimin cried out and fired several Ice Cones, but Long Yue swatted them apart with a few blows.

"Help me catch her."

Chen Jianshu immediately pushed Ye Xinglan into Xue Liushuang's arms. The two collided and instinctively staggered back several steps.

Even the Life Slime squeezed between them was squashed into an irregular oval.

"Silver Dragon Spear!"

Chen Jianshu watched Long Yue flying toward him, a cold glint flashing through his purple eyes. A projected Silver Dragon Spear Noble Phantasm immediately shot out.

Long Yue's heart skipped a beat. He felt his strength weakened by thirty percent, and disbelief flashed through his eyes. The Dragon-type Martial Soul bloodline of the boy before him was actually suppressing him!

The Silver Dragon Spear collided with the Mountain Dragon fist. With a loud boom, the spear was sent flying, and Long Yue's advance was halted as well. Feeling a sting in his fist, he raised it and found another bloody gash.

"Up you go!"

The genuine Silver Dragon Spear appeared in Chen Jianshu's hand and transformed into a silver-white staff. A cyan-blue magic circle appeared beneath Long Yue's feet.

"What?!"

Long Yue was startled, but he was completely unable to move in midair. A violent gale and a torrent of water surged upward, blasting the falling Long Yue back into the air.

"Frost Ice Prison!"

Chen Jianshu held the Silver Dragon Staff high. Countless chains of ice shot out, freezing the torrent that had blasted Long Yue upward into a fifteen-meter-tall pillar of ice. The Ice Lock then wound around the pillar and bound Long Yue in midair.

He gave a sharp tug, binding Long Yue's right hand and suspending him in the air. A chain attached to his left hand flew toward Weng Daimin.

"Xiao Min! Give me a hand!"

"All right!"

Weng Daimin reached out and caught the Ice Lock, intending to pull it taut and hold Long Yue in the air.

"Brother Long! I'll help you!"

At that moment, the Blond Girl nearby lit up and sent a Mental Shock at them. Weng Daimin immediately clutched her head, while Chen Jianshu was barely affected; it only felt as if his head had been touched, leaving it slightly itchy.

Long Yue's brute strength was terrifying. Even with his body suspended and both hands bound by the Ice Lock, his struggles were still immensely powerful.

Long Yue yanked hard on the chain, pulling Weng Daimin, who had suffered the Mental Shock, off her feet. Just as he was about to rip the Ice Lock apart in one go, a dark figure charged into the battle.

The flying Ice Lock was caught, and Long Yue's left hand was pulled back up.

Everyone looked closely and saw the cat-eared girl, a few bruises on her body. Long Yue struggled furiously, and enraged dragon roars rang out again and again.

"I'll help you!"

Xue Liushuang helped Chen Jianshu pull on the ice chain from behind him, channeling Soul Power into it to reinforce the Ice Lock.

The red-haired cat-eared girl did not seem to be in good shape. She was pulled some distance, leaving a trail beneath her feet.

But with a tiger's roar, the cat-eared girl's red hair turned white and gained white stripes. It was the White Tiger Martial Soul.

After switching to a strength-type Martial Soul, she managed to bring the situation under control, locking Long Yue firmly in place as if he were chained to the sky.

"That girl from the knockoff Star Luo Academy actually has Twin Martial Souls too! And they're the Hell Spirit Cat and the Evil-Eyed White Tiger!"

The pupils of Long Yue's companion, the Blond Evil-Eyed Man, contracted sharply as he looked at Long Yue, trapped in the air with nowhere to brace himself. Another girl immediately said:

"Fourth Brother, let's go help Brother Long!"

As she spoke, a glimmer flashed through her eyes again. She aimed at the cat-eared girl, ready to unleash another Mental Shock.

"Don't even think about it! Asura Judgment!"

At that moment, Wu Bingyu broke free of Long Yue's First Soul Skill, Mountains and Rivers, and charged straight at her with the Pure White Peacock Tail Feather Sword.

"Yun'er, watch out!"

The blond man immediately activated Martial Soul Possession. His Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul appeared, and three purple Soul Rings circled him as he blocked Wu Bingyu's attack.

"Another Soul Elder!"

Sensing his level thirty-three Soul Power, Wu Bingyu's eyes filled with wariness. The girl called Yun'er had just been about to help Long Yue break free when an Ice Cone shot toward her.

She hurriedly dodged, only to see Weng Daimin raise her hand and send several more Ice Cones at her.

"White Tiger Protective Barrier!"

The blond man immediately stepped in front of his younger sister and blocked the Ice Cones. But Ye Xinglan charged in with her sword, while Wu Bingyu also slashed down without mercy.

Facing attacks from all three at once, he found himself struggling. Just as Ye Xinglan's sword light was about to strike Dai Yun'er, cat ears appeared on Dai Yun'er's head, and she nimbly dodged it.

"Twin Martial Souls again?!"

Seeing her switch Martial Souls in an instant, Ye Xinglan's pupils contracted sharply. She had not expected her to be hiding another Martial Soul.

"See you!"

Dai Yun'er smugly slipped past Ye Xinglan and charged straight at Wu Siduo. Looking at these people's Martial Souls, their identities were obvious.

There was Long Yue with his Mountain Dragon Martial Soul, as well as Dai Yueyan, a prince of the Dai Family of the Star Luo Empire Federation on the neighboring Star Luo Continent, and the little princess Dai Yun'er. The one with Twin Martial Souls ought to be Wu Siduo.

He had not expected a single trip into the Turbulent Period Spirit Ascension Platform to bring so many troubles.

"Noble Phantasm Projection! Big Dipper Heart-Piercer!"

Chen Jianshu unleashed his First Soul Skill, and seven Prototype Archaics shot toward the oncoming Blond Girl.

Dai Yun'er's pupils contracted sharply. She struggled to dodge, but still received cuts all over and looked thoroughly disheveled.

"Sword Star God!"

Ye Xinglan caught up in an instant, sending several streaks of sword Qi slashing mercilessly toward her.

"Yun'er!!!"

High in the air, Long Yue's eyes nearly split with rage, and the force of his struggles increased countless times in an instant. Wu Siduo, Chen Jianshu, and Xue Liushuang could all feel the chains in their hands straining under the load.

Dai Yueyan was held up by Wu Bingyu and Weng Daimin. Weng Daimin fought at range with ice and could also interfere with Dai Yun'er.

Several Ice Cones came flying, leaving Dai Yun'er with many more wounds. Faced with Ye Xinglan's fierce swordplay, she was beaten back step by step.

High in the air, Long Yue's eyes turned blood-red, and he began panting like a bull. He went berserk on the spot. With a dragon's cry, the Mountain Dragon Martial Soul let out a roar, shattering the Ice Lock instantly.

"Damn! Do you really think you're Tang San?!"

Seeing Long Yue go berserk the moment Dai Yun'er was hurt, he could not help cursing.

Boom!

Long Yue crashed heavily to the ground. The might of the Mountain Dragon Martial Soul swept outward, accompanied by his furious, savage roar.

"You all have to die!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he kicked off the ground and charged straight at Chen Jianshu. His Mountain Dragon claw struck without mercy, clearly carrying killing intent.

"Watch out!"

Xue Liushuang raised her sword in front of herself to block the attack, but he grabbed her hand and used Spatial Movement to dodge it.

Boom!

Long Yue's attack struck the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. The commotion drew the attention of the others nearby.

"Hey! My friend has lost control. You'd better hurry and save your friend!"

Seeing that Long Yue had completely lost control and gone mad, Dai Yueyan immediately warned them. Hearing this, Wu Bingyu hesitated, unsure whether to go help Chen Jianshu or continue fighting him.

"Listen to me first. Let us wake our friend up! I'm a prince of the Imperial Family of the Star Luo Continent. I would never lie to you!"

Seeing her hesitate, Dai Yueyan immediately gave his assurance. Only then did Wu Bingyu stop fighting and rush toward Chen Jianshu.

"I'll hold him off. You all find somewhere to hide."

He pushed Xue Liushuang aside and rushed off alone in another direction. A dragon's roar rang out, and dust billowed. Long Yue's gaze locked onto him instantly, and he let out an angry roar.

"Mountains and Rivers!"

Countless stone spikes rose from the ground and shot toward him. Chen Jianshu's gaze sharpened, and his black-haired, purple-eyed appearance changed in an instant.

His black hair turned silver-white, and his purple eyes became silver-white as well. He held the genuine Silver Dragon Spear in his hand, transformed it into a staff, and pointed it forward.

The rampaging earth element instantly grew still. Long Yue descended from the sky again, unleashing his Second Soul Skill.

"Rivers!"

A raging river surged toward Chen Jianshu. He spun the Silver Dragon Staff once, and the river rushing at him instantly fell under his control. It circled him once before flying back.

The river slammed into Long Yue, stopping his charge, then swept back again.

He planted his feet heavily to withstand the torrent's impact, his scarlet eyes fixed on the silver-haired, silver-eyed figure before him as he unleashed his Third Soul Skill.

"Third Soul Skill, Quagmire!"

He hammered the ground in fury, and the earth before him instantly turned to mire. Chen Jianshu's feet sank into it, and Long Yue seized the chance to attack.

"Hmph! You dare play with the elements in front of me? Swinging a great saber before Guan Gong—you overestimate yourself!"

Chen Jianshu tapped the ground lightly with the Silver Dragon Staff, instantly taking control of the mire. At the same time, Long Yue's dragon claw struck, and Chen Jianshu used spatial transfer again to evade the deadly attack.

He then appeared twenty meters overhead. Seven elements flowed around him, compressed to the utmost into an unstable nuclear reactor, which fell toward the figure below.

P.S. The first and second updates for July 12, combined into one 4,000-character chapter.